Canadian Solar Inc. recently announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, Recurrent Energy LLC, is currently constructing the 28 MWac Maplewood 2 Solar Project for Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based Fortune 100 midstream energy company. Maplewood 2 is located in Pecos County in the Permian Basin of west Texas, and will deliver low-cost, clean power to Energy Transfer under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This PPA marks Energy Transfer's first-ever dedicated solar contract.

"The Maplewood 2 Solar Project is our third project to be constructed in Texas, bringing our total to more than 385 MWac of low-cost clean solar projects built in the Lone Star State," said Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive officer of Canadian Solar. "We are pleased that this project is now under construction, as it brings us that much closer to delivering low-cost, clean power to Energy Transfer."

Energy Transfer President and Chief Commercial Officer Mackie McCrea added, "The Maplewood 2 Solar Project demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint by integrating alternative energy sources when economically beneficial. While we currently use a diversified mix of energy sources along with emission-reducing technologies to operate our assets, this project marks a new milestone for us as our first dedicated solar-powered facility."

Texas has led the production of energy since the discovery of the Spindletop oilfield in 1901. The state's geography and natural resources, skilled labor force and internal competitive power market, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), give it an energy advantage. According to a report by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association, Texas ranks 4th in the United States for solar installed, with enough solar capacity to power more than 640,000 homes, and is poised to become a nationwide leader with more than 4 GW of capacity expected to be installed over the next five years.

Qu added, "Our partnership with Energy Transfer on the Maplewood 2 Solar Project is emblematic of the diverse Texas energy landscape and represents the market-oriented business climate the state is so well known for. It's tremendous to be working with Energy Transfer to provide an economical, clean energy solution that will support their U.S. operations."

The Maplewood 2 Solar Project is estimated to be in operation in Q1 2021.

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